Daughter of Ipswich
by Ekari Turone
Summary: When Reid Garwin falls for Caleb's twin sister, how will the covenant react? also, with Chase showing his true colors, how far will Reid go to protect her? and does she really need protection? ReidxOC, follows the movie. T for mild swearing. R&R!
1. The Party don't start til I walk in!

**What is this!? Ekari has a new story out? O_O le gasp!**

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Mel Danvers shivered and hugged her arms around herself as she followed her twin brother, Caleb, to the edge of the cliffs that overlooked the Dells. She surveyed the scene below them, hundreds of teenagers dancing, drinking, and laughing. She grinned recklessly and turned to her brother, her blue eyes showing her excitement. Caleb returned her grin, but put his hand on her shoulder.

"Wait for the others, Baby Girl." he said, curbing her enthusiasm before it got out of hand. Mel tended to get overexcited and "Use" without thinking of the consequences. Caleb, Mel, and their three best friends; Reid, Tyler, and Poque, were all descended from the first families that had settled the Ipswich Colony in Massachusetts, so they were known as the "Children of Ipswich." that was common knowledge, What wasn't common knowledge was that they each possessed incredible magical powers, as their ancestors had all been part of an ancient covenant of silence. Nothing like Caleb and Mel had ever existed in the history of the covenant, since they were twins, they were both technically "first born", they each had The Power.

"Hey there, people!" said a voice behind them. It was two of their friends: Pogue Parry and Tyler Simms. Mel danced over to them, giving Pogue a hug, then Tyler.

"Hey there, Baby Girl!" Pogue said, using the nickname for Mel that the whole covenant had for her."Where the hell is Reid?" He asked Caleb, looking around and noticing that Reid was the only one missing.

"Not here yet," Caleb said, rolling his eyes. Tyler and Mel shared an exasperated look. Reid Garwin was always late.

About five minutes later, Reid approached them, an extremely cocky look on his face.

"What's up fellas?" he asked easily, grabbing Mel in a one armed hug. Mel hugged him back before going over to stand between Tyler and Caleb. Reid was someone that Mel actually....liked. She never wanted to say anything, though, because Reid had a huge reputation for being a player.

"Where were you?" Tyler asked "I stopped by to give you a lift."

"Had things to do" Reid answered evasively.

"How's the party?" he asked, stepping to the very edge of the cliff and looking down at the party.

"We don't know." Mel supplied helpfully. "We were stuck up here, waiting for your slow ass."

"Well hell,boys" he said cockily. Mel cleared her throat loudly and pointedly. "And girl...Let's drop in!" his eyes darkened with power and he casually stepped over the edge.

"Shit, Yeah!" Tyler crowed, jumping backwards off the cliff.

"TYLER!" Caleb yelled angrily. He got an even more annoyed expression when Mel stepped to the edge. He grabbed her arm, trying to stop her. She looked at him, grinning wildly as her eyes shifted from blue to pitch black. "Carpe Diem, Golden Boy!Seize the day!" She grinned, using her nickname for him. He rolled his eyes and released her. She laughed, skipping over the edge.

She folded her legs underneath herself as if she were doing a cannonball into a pool, holding the skirt of her flowy sundress to her legs. Just as she was about to hit the ground, she seemed to slow down, she unfolded her legs, landing on her feet very lightly. Caleb and Pogue joined them quickly and the group headed over to the party. Mel loved seeing everyone's eyes turn as the Children of Ipswich came over the hill.

"Hey Kate!" Caleb called, leading the way over to Pogue's girlfriend, Kate. She was standing with a new girl.

"Hey Caleb!" Kate said, smiling at him before rushing to hug Pogue. "You're late" she said in mock annoyance

"Had a thing with the family." Pogue replied, setting Kate back on her feet. "Who's this?" he asked, indicating the new girl, whom Caleb was eying not-so-subtly. Mel rolled her eyes at her brother.

"This is my new roommate, Sarah." Kate said. "Sarah, this is Pogue Parry, Tyler Simms, Mel Danvers, Reid-"

"Garwin." Reid interrupted. "Reid Garwin. Good evening."

Mel almost choked for laughing as Reid embarrassed himself in front of Sarah by saying; "You know, Sarah was my Grandmother's name. You kind of remind me of her."

Mel coughed loudly and muttered "Creep!" as Caleb introduced himself and assured Sarah that she didn't remind him of _his_ grandmother in any way.

"Oh, great." Mel grumbled. "My hoe-dar is going off." She said as Spenser Academy's biggest slut, Kira, joined their group.

"Hi Caleb!" she smiled, "How was your summer?" she asked flirtatiously.

"uh..." Caleb said, still looking pointedly at Sarah, as if to politely say "I was talking to her first, so back up, hoe"

Kira followed Caleb's gaze and turned to Sarah. "Hi, I'm Kira."

"Sarah." Sarah replied easily.

"Right. From the Boston public. Tell me, how does one go about getting into Spenser from a public?" Kira asked snobbily.

"Why don't you give it a rest, Kira?" Caleb asked tiredly.

"Why don't _you_ give it a rest, Caleb?" Aaron Abbott asked, heading over to join the conversation. "I think you owe Kira an apology."

"Actually..." Caleb said in a voice Mel instantly recognized as his "I really want to hit you but I'm going to let you live today" voice. "I think it's Kira that owes Sarah the apology."

Aaron started towards Caleb, but a new guy she didn't recognize stepped between them. "You were being kind of bitchy." he smiled, giving Kira a look. Mel didn't like this new guy. He seemed all right, but something was very wrong about him. She snapped out of her thoughts when Aaron leered at her and put an arm around her shoulder.

"If you want to keep that hand..." Mel growled, gripping Aaron's wrist a little more tightly then necessary. "I suggest you take it off of my shoulder. NOW!"

"Come on, Babe. You know you want me." Aaron said cockily.

Caleb started forward, but Reid and Pogue beat him to it. Pogue cracked his knuckles and glared menacingly at Aaron, while Reid's eyes darkened with power. A split second later, Aaron's friend puked all over him. Mel scowled as she stepped away from Aaron before she got covered in the puke, too. She shot a thankful glance at Reid and was about to thank him when the music suddenly stopped.

"Guys! Dylan just called, he said he saw three cop cars headed down Old Dell road!" the D.J announced.

"You guys need a ride?" Caleb asked Sarah and Kate as he pulled Mel towards the trees.

"Nah, Sarah drove us out here" Kate kissed Pogue goodbye as she ran to Sarah's small blue Volkswagen. Mel slid into the back seat of Tyler's Hummer between Caleb and Pogue. She heard Sarah's car sputter and die.

"My car won't start!" She cried, looking at the guys helplessly.

"I can fix it!" Reid said, climbing out of the Hummer. He used to fix Sarah's car and ran back to the Hummer, opening the driver's side door. Mel giggled at the ensuing argument between Tyler and Reid.

"Move over, I'm driving!"

"But it's MY car!"

"Move over Baby Boy, NOW!"

Tyler finally acquiesced and slipped into the passenger seat. Reid cranked the Hummer and floored it, jetting off into the woods, the cops were right behind them.

"Aww...you gotta pull over." Caleb said reluctantly.

"Oh, you want to pull over? Yeah that'll impress Harvard." Reid retorted, not showing any signs of slowing the truck down.

"What the hell," Caleb caved, "Let's lose 'em. Hey, cut across Marblehead, might as well have some fun while we're at it."

Reid sped through the forest, knowing the cops were right on their tail. He cut across to Marblehead, a huge expanse of fog in front of them.

"Come on Caleb, it's gonna take all of us." Pogue said over the police car's blaring horn. The car fell very silent as the five teenagers shifted their eyes to black.

Reid stomped on the gas, shouting "Harry Potter can KISS MY ASS!!!!"

They took the Hummer over the cliffs, laughing the whole way. They landed behind the cop cars and Reid threw the truck into reverse, headed for Spenser and leaving the cops looking completely flabbergasted behind them.

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**'kay I know I left with a MAJORLY bad cliffhanger, but this chap was getting too long. Chap 2 will be up by the end of the week! **

**flame me, I'll flame you straight back!  
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	2. Darkling

**yay! here's chap 2, comin' atcha!**

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**Reid drove more sanely when they hit the main road, heading back to Spenser. Caleb breathed a sigh of relief, because once they'd touched the Hummer down behind the cops, and Reid really started to floor it, Mel had grabbed on to his arm and hadn't let go the entire time. She didn't enjoy the daredevil stuff as much as the boys, and was muttering "we're gonna die, we're gonna die" under her breath the whole time. When they pulled into the Spenser parking lot, they all piled out. Pogue waved goodbye and headed for his Ducati motorcycle, Reid yawned heavily and headed to the dorms after giving Mel a hug and pounding fists with Caleb, Tyler wandered after Reid, headed to the dorms.

Mel pulled her car keys out and unlocked her black '07 Mercedes CLK 320 Coupe and slid behind the wheel, as Caleb slid into the passenger seat. She started the engine and the car backed out of the parking spot.

"Hell of a night, huh?" She commented as they pulled out of the Spenser parking lot.

"Yep." Caleb said distractedly. He seemed to be preoccupied with something. If Mel had to guess, "Something" had blond hair and blue eyes and had just transferred in.

Mel rolled her eyes, knowing her brother already had a crush on Sarah.

She pulled into the long hidden driveway of Danvers estate and parked next to Caleb's silver Mustang. When they climbed out, they noticed that there was a light on in the living room window, and a fire burning in the fireplace.

"Mom must be up late." Mel mused as she locked the Mercedes and headed for the house, falling into step behind Caleb as she hunted for her house key in her purse.

"You go on up to bed, Baby Girl, I'll take care of Mother." Caleb said quietly as they stepped into the eerily quiet mansion. Mel nodded and went upstairs, hearing her mother lament to Caleb that her babies were going to turn eighteen and ascend, and how Caleb had better look out for his overly reckless little sister.

Mel sighed as she headed up to her room. It wasn't fair for Caleb to have to act like a grown up at seventeen. The Gift of Ipswich weighed heavily on him. She went into her room and grabbed a pair of black dance shorts and a hot pink tank top. Crossing over to the bathroom, she examined herself in the mirror. She had the same coal black hair as her brother's, it fell in waves to the middle of her back. She was a lot smaller than her brother,very petite,only standing at about 4'11. Her face was very angular, and her eyes were an odd color, a strange metallic blue, almost the exact opposite of Caleb's nearly black eyes. Her skin was tanned from all the time she spent outside, either up trees or on her horse, Hi Jinx. She pulled her thick hair into a messy bun and put on the shorts and tank top, throwing her sundress into the hamper, from which a vast and varied array of clothes hung.

Walking back into her room, she flipped the lights off and went to bed, Forgetting to set the alarm on the clock radio under her favorite picture of her and the boys. It showed her, Tyler, and Caleb laughing their heads off on the beach as they buried Reid up to his neck in sand. The picture had been snapped just as Reid had discovered what they were doing, his face was hilarious. She loved that picture, it always made her laugh. She finally fell asleep.

_She was standing in the middle of a derelict building, in the middle of a thunderstorm. Two dark figures were conversing in the middle of the large room. The taller one seemed to be trying to talk the smaller one out of something. The smaller person, who looked vaguely familiar, gave an evil smile and his eyes darkened with unmistakable power. He was using! He shot a ball of pure, compressed energy at the taller boy, who went flying, landing only a foot from where Mel stood. Looking down, Mel notice with horror that she knew who he was. _

_It was Caleb! _

_The shorter, stockier boy started forward, his eyes rolling to black as he prepared to strike another blow at Caleb. _

She was awakened by her cell phone ringing. Groaning,she answered it.

"Someone had better be dying." She spat venemously into the phone.

"Jeez, such a warm greeting, Melanie" Reid said in an annoyingly cheerful voice, using her full name.

"What is it, Reid?" She asked, sitting up in bed "Do you have _any _concept of how early it is?"

"Yeah, actually it's 9:40" Reid replied, a badly disguised laugh in his voice.

"OH HELL!" Mel exclaimed, throwing her quilt off and jumping out of bed,"I have a lesson today! I'm s'posed to be at the barn, on horseback, in TWENTY MINUTES!" She cradled the phone between her ear and shoulder as she hunted for her creme colored Jodphurs. Finding them, she tore off her shorts and pulled on the tight riding pants. She left the tank top on, it was more comfortable than anything else.

"Listen, Reid, I gotta go and get ready, but let's hang out, I'll stop by the dorms later, maybe you, me and Ty can hit Nicky's tonight." Mel said as she balanced on one leg, lacing her Ariat paddock boots and zipping half-chaps over her jodphur-covered calves.

"Sounds great, see you then, baby girl!" Reid agreed. Mel flipped her phone closed threw a change of clothes into another bag along with a pair of knee-high boots, grabbed her purse and car keys, and made a mad dash downstairs. She stopped by the kitchen and grabbed an apple, wolfing it down before throwing herself behind the wheel of her Mercedes and starting the engine, flooring it out of the driveway. She flew down the secluded Ipswich road, her eyes darkening to change red lights to green so she didn't have to stop.

She arrived at Ipswich Stables in record time, punching in the gate code and pulling around to park behind a set of stalls that everyone who went to the barn parked at.

Mel went to the main barn and went to Jinx's stall. He was a 16 hand Bay Holsteiner gelding. She took a halter off the hook next to his stall and put it around his head and clipped a lead rope to the halter, leading him out of the stall and to the cross-ties. She dissappeared into the tack room and came back with a brown leather english saddle, a martingale ( a training aide that keeps a horse from throwing his head), a fleece pad, and a bridle. She got him groomed in record time, tacking him up in about ten minutes. She gracefully pulled herself into the saddle and guided Jinx to the large arena in front of the main barn.

"Well, now!" her trainer, Kathleen, said with a slight laugh. "you're cutting it close, aren't you?

"Blame my alarm." Mel replied, beginning a circle around the arena.

"Let's start working out with the jumps. Bring it up to the trot, now, if you please." Kathleen said, walking to the middle of the arena and switching on her microphone system. Mel nudged Jinx into a slow "hunter" style trot. They aproached the first jump. Mel gathered herself up into the "two-point " jumping position. They soared over the first jump, and it felt like flying. As they rounded the bend, Mel looked over into the pasture right next to the arena,and saw a figure next to a huge live oak. A boy with shaggy reddish-blond hair. She didn't recognize him, though. She was horrified when his face took on a demonic appearance and he dissappeared.

"Mel?" her trainer began calling to her. "MEL!"

Mel lost her stirrups, just as Jinx went over the second jump. She managed to stay on by gripping with her legs, but when he took a hard left turn, she fell off. She hit the top of the arena fence and fell over it, landing on her back. She was very winded, and distressed, but not from the fall. She was more concerned with what she'd just seen.

Loran Wheeler, another boarder at the stables, came cantering over on her quarter horse, Chip. she got off of her horse, running over to Mel. Kathleen was climbing the arena fence, a concerned look on her face.

"Are you all right?" they said in unison. Mel slowly got up, trying to assess the damage.

"I'm fine. It wasn't a very bad fall. It happens." She got up and brushed herself off. Hopping the arena fence, she went back to where Jinx was standing and climbed back into the saddle.

The rest of the lesson went by alright, no more incidents. Mel walked Jinx around a bit , to cool him off. Then she hopped off and led him back to the ties, where she un-tacked him, gave him a bath, and put him into his field with her friend Morgan's horse, Crimson. As soon as she was in her car, she pulled her cell phone out and dialed Tyler.

"Hello?" Tyler answered on the second ring.

"We've got a problem, baby boy." She said in greeting as she drove towards Spenser.

"Wait, What?" came Tyler's confused response."What kind of problem?"

"The kind of problem where someone just sent me a darkling." She replied grimly.

"Someone sent you a WHAT!?"

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**oooohh i wonder who sent Mel a darkling? scary!**

**yeah, theres a button below. It's purple. yeah, it says review. DOOOO ITTTT!**


	3. Welcome to Mystery

**YAY! I love all my reviewers! as a present, there's gonna be some Reid and Mel-ness in this chapter. btw, i know this is a super long chapter, but i havent updated in a while, so i thought I owed y'all one. lol.  
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As Mel drove from the barn to the Spenser dorms, she couldn't help but look in the rear view mirror every few seconds, expecting to see the darkling again. When she pulled into the parking lot next to Tyler's Hummer, she breathed a sigh of relief and walked into the dorms. She trudged up the stairs to Reid and Tyler's room. She opened the door to see Tyler halfway through pacing the length of his and Reid's dorm room. When he caught sight of her, a look of relief took over his face.

"Thank _god!"_ he said, crossing the room and wrapping Mel in a bear hug. Tyler and Mel had always been close, almost like brother and sister, ever since they'd met as little kids. "Are you okay? You're not hurt, are you?"

"I'm okay. I just want to know who sent that darkling." Mel said, letting go of Tyler. "But I might have a guess."

"I'm trying to find out, too." Tyler said, "but I'm as stumped as you are. Who do you think would send you a darkling?"

"Where's Reid?" Mel said, looking around. "I bet he knows who sent the darkling..." Under her breath, she added, "I'm going to kill that jerk."

"He's in the shower..." Tyler said, stepping back, "Did you just say you're going to kill him?"

Just then a tall, blond Reid walked in, only a towel wrapped around his waist.

Even though having Reid two feet in front of her in only a towel made Mel blush so hard she resembled a tomato, she was still incredibly angry at him. Her eyes shifted to pitch black and an unseen force pushed him so hard he hit the wall behind him.

"What the hell is your problem, Baby Girl?" Reid shouted

"You sent a darkling after me, Jackass!" shouted Mel

Reid's eyes widened, "Someone sent a darkling after you?" He gripped her shoulders, "Are you alright? Are you hurt?" He looked her over in genuine concern. Mel wiped his hands off her shoulders.

"Don't pretend like you don't know." Mel said, crossing her arms.

"You think I sent the darkling?" He said, "I'd never do that to you! Who did this to you? Who the hell sent a darkling after you? I'm gonna kill him."

"Wait...you didn't send the darkling?" Mel said, a bit confused.

"Of course not! I-!" He shut his eyes and exhaled then opened his eyes again, this time there was only burning anger, "I wouldn't do that, trust me. But we're gonna find out who did." Reid's eyes shifted to Tyler, "You know about this?"

Tyler slowly nodded, backing away from both Mel and Reid, who were two entities burning with uncontrollable anger.

Mel concentrated on inhaling and exhaling. Reid not wearing any clothes and being about two inches away really didn't zen her, surprisingly.

"Okay, first off, I texted Caleb and Pogue before I came up here, so their probably gonna be here in about two seconds, so Reid, put some freaking clothes on!" Mel said, still concentrating on getting her breathing under control." And Ty, You might want to clean up this room, it looks like a tornado hit it."

She crossed over to their closet and pulled out a dark gray t-shirt and pair of black skinny jeans for Reid to wear and threw them at him. He smirked.

"Whats the problem, Baby Girl? Pogue and Caleb wont care if I'm just wearing a towel. " he said, putting the clothes next to him on his bed. His smirk greatly resembled the Cheshire cat. "Do You have a problem with me being half-naked?"

Mel glared at a spot on the wall just above Reid's head. "Yes, but that's besides the point!What do you think Caleb will do to you when he sees that his little sister is in the room with his half-naked best friend? You don't think he will beat you bloody?"

He laughed then went into the bathroom to change. As soon as he shut the door behind him, Tyler began staring at Mel. He looked as if he was trying to hold back a laugh.

"What?" She demanded, throwing an icy glare at the youngest son of Ipswich. "I'm really not in the mood right now, Simms, so out with it!"

"It's nothing, Baby Girl, just, well, your face went really red as soon as Reid walked in the door, and He pretty much just admitted that he liked you. You guys are in such denial." Tyler lounged on his bed, totally at his ease. Mel's eyes sparked with magic and his sheets and covers were magically yanked out from under him, tossing him onto the floor.

"Jeez, Mellie!" he said, using the name he'd called her when they were little kids. "I was just joking!"

Reid re-entered just then, wearing the t-shirt and jeans she'd thrown at him, as well as a black ski cap.

"Caleb called, he says to meet him at Nicky's in an hour. He says for you to stay with me and Baby Boy until then, Mel." He said, sitting down on the computer chair in front of his desk.

Mel rolled her eyes, her brother was always going to be overprotective. "Whatever."

She snatched her bag from the floor and went to go change. She put on a blue mini dress and a pair of knee high boots.

Twenty minutes later she was pulling into the parking lot at Nicky's bar, climbing out of her car along with Reid and Tyler. Tyler ordered cokes for the three of them as Mel and Reid gravitated towards the pool tables. Mel loved to watch Reid and Tyler play pool. They cheated a lot, but hey, people who were easy enough to be played deserved it. Mel's gaze found Tyler, who was standing at the bar, talking to her friend Corey Wilcox, a senior girl with light brown hair that fell in waves to her thin shoulders. She smiled, promising herself that she would help them get together, Tyler deserved to have someone.

Mel set the balls up into the triangle and looked around to see who would be easy to hustle, when all of a sudden she felt an arm wrap around her shoulders and smelled what seemed to be stale beer.

"Hey, babe!" Aaron Abbott said with a leering grin. Mel put on an a fierce glare that would have had a spartan warrior crying for his mommy.

"Aaron, I'm almost positive you're gonna need that hand later,seeing as you guys are in a committed relationship and all, so If I were you, I would let go." Mel said through clenched teeth.

"Let her go, dickwad!" Reid said easily, although he looked about ready to snap his pool stick over Aaron's thick skull. Aaron's grin only got bigger.

"How 'bout a bet, Garwin?" He asked slyly.

Mel rolled her eyes. No matter how many times Reid took Aaron's money, he always kept coming back for more. Just then, Mel's favorite song, Dance,Dance by Fallout Boy came blasting through the speakers. In a sudden bout of courage, if not just to get away from Aaron, she grabbed Reid and pulled him out to the dance floor and started dancing, and the energy was electric. Mel loved to dance, and the way her body moved betrayed her years of lessons before she'd gotten sick of taking dance class and begun riding horses.

"You dance divinely,mister Garwin!" Mel laughed in a fake snooty accent. Reid snorted and put his hands on Mel's hips as they moved to the music.

As the song ended, Mel saw Caleb walk in with Sarah, Kate, and the new guy. They all sat at a table near the Foosball tables.

Mel and Reid walked back to the pool tables, where Tyler was beginning his and Reid's usual scam. Mel drifted over to Caleb, Sarah, Kate and the new guy's table when Pogue, who'd wandered in a little later then everyone else, came over and began placing bets with Reid and Tyler on what kind of panties the waitress was wearing. Rolling her eyes, she sat down next to Kate.

"Hey, Mel!" said Kate, bubbly and full of energy, as always."I love your dress!"

"Hey!" Mel smiled in greeting. She turned to the new guy, who still gave her a bad feeling. Something was very off about him, she just couldn't put her finger on it. The way he smiled at her brother and Pogue, there was something sinister about it...almost hungry.

"Have you met Chase Collins yet?" Kate asked, gesturing to the new guy.

"Yeah, you just transferred in, right?" Mel asked, taking a sip from her Coke. Mel still couldn't shake the feeling that there was something wrong, but there couldn't be.

_I'm just being paranoid _She thought to herself _He's just a transfer student! But still..._

"...and you remember Sarah, right?" Kate was saying, which brought Mel out of her daze. "Hello? Earth to Mel, I swear she's such a space cadet sometimes!"

"Oh, yeah, she was at the party, hi!" Mel smiled at Sarah. Mel, Kate and Sarah began chatting about what classes and teachers they were going to have when school started up again, and Pogue,Caleb, and Chase got up and began an intense game of Foosball.

"Okay," Sarah piped up, an incredulous look on her face. "What just happened here? We were all just sitting here having fun together, and now we're sitting here watching them have fun!"

Mel shrugged, taking advantage of Caleb's absence to steal his soda. "It's not a big thing, Caleb and Pogue can't resist Foosball, it's a guy thing."

"Yeah," Kate nodded. "You know, boys and their toys." Sarah smiled and shook her head.

"Uh-uh, gimme a quarter, I'll show you what girls do."

Kate handed Sarah a quarter and she immediately crossed over to the jukebox. Kate and Mel gave each other mystified glances, which morphed into appreciative grins as the first chords of "I Love Rock'n'Roll" belted out of the speakers. Kate and Mel laughed as they watched Sarah pull Caleb out onto the dance floor. Kate turned to Mel, a mischevious smile on her face.

"Why don't you go ask Reid to dance, Mel?" She said, nudging her with an elbow. Mel rolled her eyes and was about to make a witty comment, when she heard a commotion coming from over by the pool tables. She looked over just in time to see Reid shove Aaron.

"Lovely." she muttered, downing the rest of her Coke and rolling her eyes. Caleb went over to Pogue, so Mel went over to them.

"...Ried and Tyler, let's go." She heard Caleb finish,"Gimme my jacket."

The new guy, Chase,drifted over to them, handing Caleb his windbreaker. "You want some help?" he asked.

"No, we're fine," Caleb told him "Stay here with the girls-That would mean you, sis."

Mel smirked and pushed past him.

"See, this is how our relationship works. You tell me to do something, and I ignore it." she shot over her shoulder, stepping out the back door of Nicky's, wondering what the hell Tyler and Reid had gotten into now.


	4. This ain't a scene,its a damn arms race!

**Holy Hell! I haven't updated this story in FOREVER! I'm so sorry to my amazing reviewers! here's an extra-long chapter for ya, and I should be updating regularly now! :)**

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Mel led the way out to the alley behind Nicky's, where Reid and Aaron looked like they were going to start in again, while Tyler tried to appear brave in front of Aaron's goonish friend. Mel had to shake her head at that. Baby Boy might be good in a fight, but he hated confrontation and hurting people. All Mel was thinking was how happy she was that she wasn't working that night. She had just recently gotten a job as a waitress at Nicky's. (She liked having her own money; she just felt better buying something with money she'd earned.)No doubt Nicky would have had her kick them out, and she didn't even want to think about how Aaron or (especially) Reid would react to that. Caleb pushed past her, putting on his calm "I'll save Reid's ass now so I can kick it later." face.

"Alright, what's the problem?" he asked, apparently straining to keep his voice even.

Of course, Reid had to say something smart.

"He bet me I couldn't make a combo shot and…I did." He said with a laugh, which was accompanied by the easy, cocky smile Mel loved. She had to grin, too, because she knew Reid had used to make that shot. _She _always beat him at pool, because she knew when he was about to use, and she could deflect it.

"Well, we're not paying you shit, so you can-"Aaron started, but he was cut off by Nicky appearing in the doorway, a ball bat over his shoulder.

"Take it somewhere else, ladies. Now." The way Nicky said it; it was decidedly not a request.

"Whatever you say, Nicky." Aaron said, pushing past Reid, deliberately knocking into him. As soon as Aaron and his goon were gone, Caleb instantly rounded on Reid.

"What the hell were you thinking?" Caleb yelled.

"Come on, Caleb, we were just playin' 'em." Reid said.

"Yeah, they were suckers for it." Tyler piped up, hoping to avoid a fight.

"Why don't you quit being such a -" Reid began, starting to walk past Caleb.

"I'm not finished with you, yet!" Caleb said, grabbing Reid's shoulder. Reid grabbed Caleb's arm, a scowl on his face.

"Reid, stop." Caleb sounded like he was in pain, and Mel quickly saw why: Reid's eyes were pitch black, and he was gripping Caleb's wrist in a crushing grip.

That was enough for Mel. Caleb may be overprotective and no fun and annoying, but he was her twin brother, and no one messed with him but her. She launched herself in between them, a hand on each of them, keeping them away from each other.

"Hey! Cut it out, Reid!" Mel yelled, glaring at Reid as she shifted her eyes to black. Reid looked as if he was going to say something, and his eyes were still dark with power, too.

"Oh, you wanna fight _me_ now?" she asked him, one eyebrow raised. "Let me tell you how very dumb of an idea that would be."

Pogue must have seen something that Mel didn't, because he grabbed her arm and dragged her out from the middle of the fight, pushing her behind him and Tyler. She opened her mouth to object, but two seconds later, Caleb sent Reid flying into a wall.

"_What _is it gonna take for you to get it? It's addictive, you moron!" Caleb shouted, throwing his hands up in disgust. "You've seen what happens when you abuse it. You want that, that's fine, but if you Use in the open like you did tonight, you risk exposing us all. And that I won't let happen.

Reid staggered to his feet, an angry scowl on his face. He used to levitate an empty beer keg, getting ready to launch it at Caleb.

"DUDE!" Mel yelled from behind Pogue, who was attempting to hold her back.

"Stay out of it, Baby Girl." Pogue said.

"My power is greater than yours." Caleb said, holding up his hands.

"Not until you ascend." Reid spat back at him, barely even able to get the words out, he was so angry.

"Okay, tough guy, go for it." Caleb said, taking a stance. Mel struggled under Pogue's grip, trying to stop the fight, but she didn't have to worry. Reid launched the keg at Caleb, but Caleb easily deflected it and slammed Reid into a stack of empty beer bottles.

"Whoah, whoah…" Pogue yelled, running to stop Caleb, who had started towards Reid again. Tyler went to help Reid out of the mess of broken glass. "Caleb, stop! This is crazy!"

"It's for his own good!" Caleb shouted, struggling with Pogue. "Keep using like you did tonight, like you did last night, and when you ascend you'll be as good as dead!"

"So I fixed her car, big deal." Reid said as he staggered out of the glass, brushing shards off of his jacket.

"Don't play me, Reid!" Caleb was still struggling with Pogue, who was trying to hold him back. "I'm talking later, and you know it!"

"The hell I do!" Reid retorted, getting into Caleb's face. "I didn't Use _later."_

He started past Caleb again, turning towards Mel. "You about ready to go, Mel? I don't think I can stand hanging around Golden Boy here for very much longer."

"Yeah, I'll be out in a sec." Mel said, her eyes still fixed in a glare. "Meet me at the car, if you think you can do that without getting into a fight."

"Whatever."

Tyler turned to follow Reid out. "It's not right, Caleb, using on each other."

"Yeah, tell it to Reid." Caleb said, wiping his face, looking like he had a bad headache.

As soon Reid and Tyler were out of earshot, Caleb turned to Pogue, still rubbing his temples.

"Reid's lying. It had to have been him." Caleb sounded extremely tired.

"How do you know?" Pogue asked.

"It wasn't you. I knew where Mel was the whole time, and Tyler doesn't have the balls to lie to me." Caleb reasoned.

Just then, the back door to Nicky's opened, and Sarah appeared in the doorway.

"Hey, you okay?" she asked, her eyes on Caleb.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He responded, forcing a smile.

"Let's get out of here." Sarah said with a smile. Caleb nodded and followed her back through the bar. Mel followed, and by the time she'd reached the Mercedes, Caleb was already pulling out of the parking lot, Sarah in the passenger seat.

"Sometime tonight, Baby Girl." Reid's loud voice broke her out of her reverie. She'd forgotten that he and Tyler were already out in the car. Reid lounging on the front seat and Tyler sitting in the back, and he did not look very happy about it.

_This should be fun..._Mel thought, letting out a sigh and praying that whoever was up there would give her the strength not to kill Reid. Opening her door, she slid behind the wheel and turned the key. The Mercedes snarled to life. She sped down the quiet street towards Spenser, staring straight ahead and gripping the steering wheel in a death grip.

They finally pulled into the parking lot in front of the Spenser dorms. For some reason, Tyler seemed to be in a big hurry to get back to the dorm, and he got out of the car almost as soon as Mel pulled into a parking space, making a beeline for the dorm with barely a "Bye, Mel!" called over his shoulder. Reid seemed to want to stick around and talk to her.

"Look, I'm sorry I acted like such a douche, Mel." Reid began, staring out his window, the opposite direction from Mel. "Aaron just pisses me off to no end, and when Caleb acts all high and mighty…it got to me, you know?"

Mel was shocked. "Wow. Reid Garwin, admitting he was wrong and apologizing! Oh, now I _know_ the apocalypse is coming!" she joked, but gave him a grin that let him know he was forgiven-until the next time he pissed her off.

He laughed. "Always the tome of surprise, huh, Baby Girl?" Mel punched him on the shoulder, laughing.

"Right." Mel laughed, wondering how in the hell Reid could make her go from contemplating stabbing him in the eye with a pencil to laughing her head off at something he said.

"And, just so we're clear, you don't like Abbott, right? 'Cause he was saying some stuff. That's why we got into it." Reid said, as always putting it very bluntly.

Mel gave him a look. "First of all, don't ask stupid questions. If Aaron Abbott and I were the last two people on earth, I would welcome the zombie apocalypse. Hell, I'd prolly show them where he was."

"Good, good." Reid said, "Just checking. Just as long as I'm still your favorite. "

Mel rolled her eyes. "Whatever helps you sleep at night, kid."

Reid just laughed, but Mel had a feeling he was getting around to telling her the reason why he'd hung back to chat.

"So, um, anyways, are you goin' to the Fall Fest this year? I think it's on Caleb's birthday this time." Reid ran a hand through his white-blond hair, a nervous habit he'd had since he was six years old. (His mother had once cut all of his hair off, since he refused to cut it. When it grew back, he would always put a hand on his hair, as if making sure it were there.)

"Yeah, I guess. Kate, Sarah and I were talking about going into Boston this weekend, to look for dresses and go shopping and stuff. There's not much of a mall here in Ipswich." Mel was getting a little nervous, wondering what Reid was getting at, and hoping he was going to say what she thought he was going to say.

"Well, um, do you want to go with me? I mean, Tyler's probably gonna end up driving all of us anyways, and it's not like any guy has the guts to ask you out, you're always hanging around us, and Caleb's kind of scary." Reid was looking at her dead in the eyes now; an emotion she couldn't quite place was just beneath the surface. She couldn't place it because it just didn't belong on Reid Garwin: he was nervous.

"Sure, I'll go with you, I suppose. You, at least, I know I can take in a fight. Plus I've known you since, what, birth?" Mel said, trying to lighten the moment with a wisecrack.

"Heh, pretty much." Reid said. "Well, that's settled. See you tomorrow at school, Baby Girl. And thanks for the lift."

"Anytime, Reid. Thanks for asking me to the Fall Fest."

Reid opened his door and turned to get out. He hesitated for a second, then turned around and kissed her on the cheek. Getting out of the car, Reid leaned in through the open window and, with a grin on his face, said "Sweet Dreams, Baby Girl." And then proceeded to make his way up the stairs and up to his dorm.

Mel sat there in her car for about ten minutes, her jaw dropped.

"What. The. _Hell!"_ she said to herself, throwing the Mercedes into gear and peeling out of the Spenser campus, speeding through Ipswich towards home.

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**Reviews are love. Constructive Criticism only, NO FLAMES! **


	5. I Don't Practice Santeria

**hot off the presses! here's chapter 5, and its a long one!**

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Mel's alarm clock went off far too early that morning. She hadn't been able to get to sleep until around 1 a.m., and the worst thing about that was that it was the first day of school. She punched the snooze button, and rolled back over, fully intent on going back to sleep. That plan was short-lived. Caleb came into her room about three minutes later, wearing sweatpants and a white T-shirt.

"Come on, Little Sister, time to wake up!" he said loudly, shaking her shoulder. She proceeded to throw her pillow over her head and roll over.

"Mmmph." Her muffled response came from underneath the pillow.

"Come ON, Mel. It's the first day of senior year, and I don't think Provost Higgins would be too happy if one of his star pupils was late." Caleb was getting annoyed now. Mel was definitely not a morning person (She needed to down at least two Starbucks French Vanilla Double-shots before she could function at school), and he knew he was probably just asking to be magically thrown off the third floor balcony, but when Mel woke up, she would be royally pissed if she missed school.

"Plus, Reid will be there" He enticed. "I know how much you love to stop and chat with him." From the sound of Caleb's voice, Mel could tell he was wearing a Cheshire Cat-like grin.

"Bite me." Mel spat, throwing her pillow at her twin's head and resolving to turn Tyler into a toad as she grudgingly got out of bed, throwing her comforter off of her and muttering under her breath about stupid brothers and hexing them into oblivion

Ten minutes later, she was behind the wheel of Caleb's Mustang (Caleb had taken the Mercedes, saying that he was going to go get something checked at the shop in Ipswich after school.) and trying not to fidget too much in her school uniform. It was weird, she thought, to look up into the rearview and see her own car following behind her. She whipped out her cell phone, bringing up a blank text message.

_Care to race, Golden Boy? _She typed, hitting send.

She faintly heard Caleb laugh as he got her text, she wouldn't have heard at all if it weren't for the Mustang's top being down. (Mel took full advantage of her brother's car when she drove it, especially on a nice day like this.)

She laughed when she heard the Mercedes' familiar snarl, but was shocked when she saw that it was pulling alongside her, on the wrong side of the road. Mel shot her brother a glare, not at all pleased with the grin that was spreading across his face.

She heard him laugh as he put on speed and pulled ahead of her, passing through the gates to Spenser about two seconds before her. Mel slowed down when she got into the parking lot, the officer assigned to their school just loved to give out tickets.

She pulled into the parking lot and spotted an empty spot next to Tyler's Hummer. Even though he and Reid lived in the dorms, they were still too lazy to just walk to school in the mornings. With a groan, Mel climbed out of the Mustang, grabbing her messenger bag from the passenger seat. She made sure her plaid skirt was straight, since she'd had it since about the eighth or ninth grade and it was very short. A wind blew through the campus, and she was glad that she'd worn the heavy school blazer today. She loved fall in Massachusetts, but it was getting really chilly. She loved to hear the leaves crunch underneath her scuffed black Doc Martins. Something was wrong, though. There was a chill in the air that had nothing to do with the weather.

She made it to her first class, English Comp, just seconds before the bell rang. She looked for a place to sit, and saw an empty space near the middle, where Kate and Sarah were sitting. She headed over, saying hello to a few people on the way.

"Hey!" She said, smiling at Kate as she unceremoniously dropped her schoolbag on the ground under her desk. She scanned the room, and noticed Reid and Tyler sitting about two rows below her. As usual, Reid had his head down over his crossed arms, almost asleep. Mel crumpled up a piece of paper from her binder and, aiming carefully, threw it at the back of his head. He jerked awake and looked around at her. She grinned innocently and waved cheerily at him. He rolled his eyes and mouthed what looked like "Real Mature".

Just then, the teacher called the class to order. He explained that they would be studying four authors this term, all of them from Massachusetts. She could almost hear Reid's remark when the teacher began to say Stephen King.

"And, last but not least, Stephen King." He said, writing the last name on the board with a flourish. A runner from the office came in and handed him a note.

"Yeah, _Dreamcatcher _was the shit!" Reid said loudly.

"Thank you, , but no, my choice is _The Shining_." Reid always goofed off in class, so the teacher was used to it by now. "Mr. Danvers, Provost Higgins requests the pleasure of your company after class."

Mel's eyebrows went up at that. Caleb hadn't been called to the Provost's office in living memory, except once to receive an award. She saw Tyler look around and give her a confused look. She shrugged her shoulders slightly, indicating that she didn't know.

It was finally time for the last class of the day: Gym. The boys were happy because this semester they were doing swimming, which basically gave them an extra hour of practice. All the boys were on the swim team; Caleb was captain and had taken them to State Finals twice. Mel loved swimming and everything, but soccer was more her game. In fact, she was the captain of the varsity girls' soccer team.

She hugged her arms around herself as she stepped out of the girls' locker room and headed over to where the boys were congregated around a diving platform.

"So what'd the provost want?" Pogue asked Caleb.

"He heard about the fight at Nicky's." Caleb answered, shrugging it off. Reid's face pulled into a scowl.  
"You feel like elaborating on that?" He asked; ever the confrontational one.

Pogue must've sensed there was still an issue, because he reached over to Reid.

"I think you got a piece of glass stuck in your ear, there." He laughed. Reid smacked his hand away good-naturedly, as the entire group laughed.

Mel wandered away at that point, going to talk to her friend Corey Wilcox, who was in their gym class and on the soccer team with Mel.

"What's up, Wilcox?" Mel asked, looking around to make sure Coach wasn't watching. Since Mel was a Danvers, the Coach expected her to train hard and be as focused as her brother, but she wasn't as dedicated to training as Caleb was, he spent hours at the pool. For her part, Mel ran three miles after school four times a week, and went to the gym about three times a week.

"Not much, just-"Corey was cut short, however, by the appearance of Kyra.

"Didn't you see me calling to you?" she asked, hands on her hips and a glare pointed at Mel.

"Uh, I think the question should be 'do you _care _that I was calling you?' cause that answer would be no." Mel answered. She really disliked Kyra, especially the snotty way she'd talked to Sarah, who was actually a really nice person, despite being on scholarship.

"Listen, Danvers." Kyra spat, glaring daggers at Mel. "I don't care if you and your little club _think_ you rule the school, but you don't. And you had better stay away from Aaron, or else."

Mel actually started laughing at that. "Kyra, I can't even tell you how funny that is. I wouldn't go near Abbott if he were the last man on earth."

"I saw you, at Nicky's. Simms and Garwin were there. You didn't seem to dislike him then." Kyra's tone was getting snottier by the second, and Mel could see that Corey was getting a little angry, her doe-like brown eyes narrowing into a glare she usually reserved for the soccer field.

"You're dreaming, Kyra. He ambushed me at the pool tables, and I told him how much I hated him." Mel said. Her arms tightly folded across her chest.

"Then what was that fight between Aaron and Reid about? Riddle me that." Kyra looked smug, like she knew Mel would never have an answer to her totally well-thought out question.

"Maybe because Aaron can't seem to stop making bets with Reid that Reid always wins?" Mel asked with an expression on her face that just screamed "Duh!"

At this point, Corey rolled her eyes and turned to leave, saying that she heard someone calling for her.

"Right. Oops. Looks like I scared your geeky little friend away." Kyra's smile was so self-satisfied, Mel half expected to see canary feathers sticking out between her teeth.

"Whatever, Kyra. It's been real. I have to go do something else." Mel said, not trusting herself to open her mouth to speak again. She went back over to the boys, who were watching a race between Caleb and the new kid, Chase. Mel watched, knowing that Caleb was an amazing swimmer, and that he was already in the lead. She cheered and hollered right along with Reid, Tyler, and Pogue.

_No Way…_ she thought as she saw something she knew she couldn't. For a split second, just as Chase came up for air, Mel could swear she saw his eyes turn black as pitch.

Then something happened. Her stomach lurched, like she was about to throw up. She got dizzy, and her vision blurred. She sank onto the cold cement floor, feeling like she could barely hold her head up.

Then, as quickly as the feeling came, it went. Mel shook her head, clearing the last of the nausea away. The boys were all congregated around Caleb, who had hit his head on the side of the pool. She got up and went over to them, just as Caleb came to.

As the boys joked around with Caleb, Mel could only stare at Chase, trying to figure him out.

_He couldn't have…Used…could he? No. Impossible!_

The coach finally dismissed the class, and after checking with Caleb to make sure he was okay, Mel trotted off to the Girl's locker room, her head swimming with questions that seemed to have only one impossible answer.

"Yo, Danvers!" Reid shouted as Mel left the locker room a while later. School was finally out.

"Which one?" she called cheekily, turning around, shocked to see Reid about half a foot in front of her.

_How the hell did he sneak up on me like that? _She thought, silently cursing herself for not being more aware of her surroundings.

"You. The one that's not a huge jerk all the time." He smirked, slinging an arm easily over her shoulder and leading her out to the parking lot. Mel rolled her eyes. Years of hanging out with Reid had taught her to take what he said with a grain of salt.

"What is it?" she asked, grinning at Tyler, who had just joined them and who was pulling his keys out of his pocket.

"Are you going out to see your horse today or do you have work?" Reid asked as Mel began to fish for the keys to the Mustang, which were buried in the mess and clutter that was her book bag.

"Nah," Mel shook her head. "Jinx stressed a tendon, he's gonna be lame for a while. All the other horses are taken or aren't trained enough. I think I'm gonna just take a break until he gets better. And Nicky gave me the night off tonight."

"Sweet." Reid said, grinning at her. "Come hang out at the dorms with me and Tyler for a little bit, then."

Mel grinned wickedly, pretending to think about it.

"Hmmm…I dunno…" she pretended to mull it over.

"Aw, come on Baby Girl, live a little." Tyler chimed in, pressing the unlock button on the Hummer's keyless entry.

Mel rolled her eyes. "Fine." She mock-grumbled, glad it was only the first day and they hadn't gotten any homework that day except to get syllabi signed by their parents. She made sure the Mustang was locked up and climbed into the passenger side of the Hummer, giving Reid a cheeky smile as he climbed into the back.

They spent the next four hours goofing off, playing Mario Party and Halo for X-Box (Which Mel dominated at) and arguing about which character from the _Real World _was more of a train wreck. Mel knew she should probably tell someone about what she'd seen and felt, but she wasn't quite sure yet, so she let it be.

Finally, Mel looked at her watch, noticing that it was almost eight o'clock. She groaned and, stretching out, got up and said she was going home.

"We'll walk with you." Reid said, "It's really dark outside, wouldn't want to have to explain to Brother Bear why you got abducted or something."

"Nah, I'm good. It's not that far." Mel said, grabbing her things off the floor.

She shivered as she stepped out into the crisp night air, wrapping her heavy jacket around herself. She hummed tunelessly as she walked down the trail that led from the dorms to the school, passing a few people as they made their way back from the library or Nicky's. Mel had never had a fear of the dark, she was much to level-headed for that, and she knew she could hold her own with anyone who tried her, but this night seemed different, like there was something sinister in the air.

Shaking these thoughts away, Mel focused on the sounds of the leaves crunching underneath her feet, and the wind blowing her long black hair around her face. About halfway down the trail, though, she saw someone standing off to the side. She assumed it was some student out to have a cigarette before returning to the dorms for the night.

As she approached, though, she could make out the person's features. It was Chase Collins.

Resolving to tread lightly, and sticking her hand in her jacket pocket to close around her cell phone, Mel waved sunnily at Chase, a grin on her face.

"What's up, Collins?" She chirped, trying not to betray the slight fear she felt about him. She couldn't shake the feeling that there was something not quite right about him, like he wasn't what he appeared to be.

"Not much, you're Caleb's sister, right?" he said, falling into step beside her.

"Yeah, I was just heading home; I hung out with Reid and Tyler for a while after class." Mel was choosing her words carefully, trying not to reveal too much.

"Ah, well, you see, I kind of have a problem." Mel noticed that Chase had stopped walking in the middle of the trail, a weird expression on his face.

"What would that be?" she asked, something telling her not to take her eyes off of him.

"I know what you saw while your bro and I were in the pool today." Chase's voice went from genial and controlled to icy and quiet.

Mel gulped. She knew it! He had been Using in the pool! "I don't know what you're talking about, Collins, but I didn't see anything, anyway."

"Don't lie to me!" Chase's voice was an angry snarl now. "Now, I'm going to show you what will happen if you tell any of your little boyfriends about this." His eyes sparked.

"How…?" Mel managed to squeak out before her air supply was cut off. It felt like something was crushing her throat, she could feel the pressure, and it became even harder to breath. Her lungs felt like they were on fire. She felt herself get lifted off of her feet, and she started to panic. She shifted her eyes to black, stopping his magic, and sunk to the ground, landing in a heap as she gasped for her breath.

"Now, now, we were just starting to have fun, weren't we?" Chase said, walking over to her as she struggled to her feet. His eyes shifted again, and Mel's stomach began to burn. She doubled over, a hand over her mouth to keep the bile from spilling over. She felt her mind start to fade, and she knew if she fainted, no one would find her, ever. She welled up all of her remaining strength and power. Her eyes sparked, and Chase was thrown backwards.

"This isn't over, Danvers!" He shouted, turning on his heel and walking away. "You're lucky you're no good to me dead right now." And he disappeared down the trail, not before Using his power one last time, causing Mel to double over in agony again.

She knew she didn't have much time before she fainted; her head was spinning from all the power she'd just used trying to fend off Chase, and her stomach threatened to upheave its contents. She opened her mouth, a loud scream piercing the otherwise silent night.

And then everything went black.


	6. The Song Remains the Same

**AN: I refuse to give up on this story, lol. It's just too good! :)**

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"Okay, Caleb, got it." Tyler was saying as he stepped back into His and Reid's dorm room. He flipped his phone shut, and threw a pillow at Reid, who was laying on his bed listening to his iPod.

"What's up, Baby Boy?" Reid sat up, pulling the earbuds out of his ears.

"That was Caleb. He wants us to grab Mel and head to the Colony House, says he and Pogue have found something important." Tyler pulled on his jacket and he and Reid left the dorms, hoping to catch up with Mel before she left Spenser, because Tyler's parents were already starting to complain about how much gas his Hummer took.

As they were coming down the steps, they heard an eerily familiar scream coming from the trail leading to school. It was familiar because they had heard it a long time ago. When Reid had thrown a garden snake on Mel when they were eight.

"Mel!" they said in unison, and both boys took off running towards the sound.

They ran down the trail, calling her name.

"There!" Tyler said, pointing. Someone was leaning against an old oak tree, breathing heavily. As they got closer, they saw that it was Mel. Her black hair was plastered to her face with sweat, and she was extremely pale.

"What happened?" Reid asked, wrapping an arm around Mel's waste to steady her as she got to her feet.

"We need to get to Caleb, call Pogue, too." She said, her voice was weak, but she was regaining her usually vibrant attitude rather quickly. "I'll explain when we get there, I don't want to go over this twice."

"Good." Tyler said, as Mel handed the keys to the Mustang to him. (She was still kind of dizzy so she didn't want to drive.) "Caleb actually just called. He wants us all to meet at the Colony house." Mel nodded, and began walking towards the Mustang, which was, mercifully,still sitting in the parking lot. She'd half expected Chase to steal it.

The car was quiet as they drove down the small access road that led to the gates of the Danvers' Colony house. Mel stared out the window, mulling over everything that had happened in the last few days. Reid did something very un-Reidlike and took her hand, which was resting on the console, near the gearshift. He gave it a reassuring squeeze as she stared out into the darkness, eyes a million miles away.

When they finally reached the Colony House, Mel was recovered enough to walk by herself into the ramshackle old building and down the steep, creepy stairway into the dank cellar the Covenant only used for official meetings that required them to consult the book of Damnation, or...

Mel stopped that thought in it's tracks. She knew she was being a horrible daughter, but the thought that her forty-two year-old father sitting upstairs, shriveled and on a respirator, scared her. She was terrified of ending up like that. So addicted to the Power that even the love of her family wouldn't be able to bring her to stop Using.

As she stepped into the Meeting room, she realized that Caleb was ready for anything. His sculpted face was a blank, unreadable mask made even more unreadable by the flames that encircled the altar.

_He's bringing out the Book? _Mel thought with a trill of fear. The Covenant only consulted the Book of Damnation in dire circumstances, as it was full of ancient magic and not to be taken lightly. Caleb looked up as he saw the three newcomers, and motioned for them to sit. Mel sat on the cold stone bench between Pogue and Reid. Reid automatically wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

Caleb's eyes sparked as, without preamble, he launched into a speech about how the book contained the names of the people who had brought charges against John Putnam during the Salem Witch Trials. He pointed out one name in particular: Agnes Goodwin Pope.

_Goody Pope! _Mel thought, restraining a groan. _Why's he telling us this, we already know all this stuff from what Dad and Goreman taught us._

"...Mother to Hagan." Caleb continued, not noticing that Mel wasn't paying attention and Reid was secretly playing a game on his cell phone. "She claimed that John Putnam came to her as a succubus."

He then explained that Hagan Pope was born much too late for him to be the son of Goody Pope's husband.

_So that means...what? _Mel thought, not seeing how this affected any of them. _Wait a second...Pope...Chase Goodwin Pope...Holy Shit! _She could literally feel her face drain of color.

_"_So if Hagan Pope really was the bastard son of John Putnam, then the fifth family didn't die in Salem." Tyler piped up, voicing Mel's thoughts.

"And Chase is one of us." Caleb said quietly, almost at Reid he said "Last night someone was using, enough to wake me. When you said it wasn't you, were you lying?"

"It wasn't me! I swear." Reid said, and Mel could tell he wasn't lying.

Caleb was about to say something else when his phone rang. Mel could tell by the look on her brother's face that it was Sarah, and tried to hide a smirk. However, when Caleb failed to break into that goofy smile he got when talking to Sarah, she knew something was up.

"Okay, just go back to your room and wait for me. I'll be there as soon as I can." Caleb finished, ending the call.

"It's Kate." Caleb said heavily. "Chase put a spell on her."

"What do you mean?" Pogue said, jumping up instantly. "What kind of spell?"

"Creation." Caleb said hesitantly. Pogue had no sense of reason whenever Kate was brought up, and always tended to overreact. "Spiders. They're taking her over to the hospital in Gloucester now."

When Pogue jumped up and went for the stairs, Caleb tried to stop him. "Pogue, we don't know-"

"You're talking about Kate!" Pogue exclaimed. He ran up the stairs, accidentally knocking Mel onto Reid's lap.

"Hey, there, Baby Girl!" Reid said with a smirk. Mel rolled her eyes and followed her brother and Tyler up the stairs, thinking _'well this night just went to hell in a hurry.'_

__Before she could follow Caleb out the door,she felt a withered hand on her shoulder. She turned around to see Goreman.

"What's wrong, Gorman?" she asked.

"Melanie, your father would like to speak with you." the old/young man said, gesturing her towards the rickety staircase that went upstairs to where her father sat in front of the fire, barely able to move. With a gulp and a deep breath, Mel nodded and followed Goreman up the steps.

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**So I am sosososososo sorry for the EXTREMELY late update, but things got in the way (ie college, work...) but i promise more updates!**


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